MY TRAVEL PLANS FOR 2016

  

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Kahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Kahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport;

you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there,

thanks to my children, friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to

stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm

getting older.

One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets

the adrenaline flowing and pumps up the old heart!  At my age need all the stimuli I can get! 

I may have been in Continent, but I don't remember what country I was in. It's an age thing. They tell me it is very wet and damp there.

(Many thanks to Jerry L. for passing this on...)

Avant-Art for Free!

Fort Mason Center for Art and Culture put on an exhibit featuring the work of 22 artists on Saturday, March 26. These were BIG works--one multimedia piece took up the entire firehouse, while a neon sculpture covered a large part of the hangar floor. The overall effect was quite stunning--even better that it all was free! Fort Mason periodically puts on events and exhibits that should be on everyone's list--http://fortmason.org/events/.
See my two-minute video of the event on Vimeo: vimeo.com/160569507

Mindblown Art in Menlo Park

teamLab, a Japanese digital art collective is currently exhibiting at Pace Gallery in Menlo Park, CA. This show stretches the limits of digital art combined with physical constructs and music. One of the first pieces is a six-foot-square suspended "cube" made of strings of lights, programmed to appear to have a magenta-colored fire blazing inside it--and that's just the beginning. Favorite pieces included the ballroom-sized dark room with butterflies and  blowing flowers that cover the walls, floor, and visitors--it even smelled like flowers! Another wall of art "bloomed" when a visitor stood next to it. But don't stop at the exhibits--included in the price of admission ($20 for adults) is entry to the "kidzone", which has billboard-sized play areas, including a wall of symbols that, when touched, turn into near-life sized rainbow-hued elephants, coyotes, mountains and other objects which then amble across the board. Don't miss this show! Still photos can't come close to capturing the sheer beauty of these works; to see a 3-minute video review featuring a few of the pieces, go to: vimeo.com/156793566

The Ability to Read Opens Doors

Yosemite: Getting There, Getting Around

The hoosegow in Groveland

We drove into the park via the northern route, Hwy. 120, through Groveland. Formerly known as Garrotte due to a local hanging, this little town is as charming as foothill villages get. Most of the buildings on the main street are originals, built as early as 1849 (when it was known as Savage’s Diggings after a local gold discovery). I suspect Groveland was a hippie haven during the back-to-the-land movement in the early 1970s, as there are a lot of artists in town (many buildings are decorated with large abstract canvases); cool little restaurants and shops abound, and the average age appears to be—well, picture hip 20-somethings in 1970, then and now. This was an excellent place to stop for lunch, which we did at Dori’s Tea Cottage (18744 Main Street, http://doristeacottage.com/, 209-962-5300), the former Groveland Post Office. Lovely service, sandwiches, and people.

Downtown Groveland

Hwy. 120 climbs a torturous route over a mountain and through the charred remains of a very big fire – the “Rim Fire” of 2013 that burned more than 165 square miles and caused Governor Brown to issue a state of emergency. On the way in, tree crews closed the route down to one lane in a couple of places to facilitate tree removal, though undergrowth is coming back. Most fires are caused by lightning strikes, and are a normal part of the mountain growth and re-growth cycle, though dry weather has increased the frequency and intensity of forest fires throughout the U.S.

If you’re lucky enough to encounter snow on your trip to Yosemite, you might consider taking YARTS bus service (www.yarts.com, 1-877-989-2787) from one of many stops from the Merced airport to villages along Hwy. 140 direct to Yosemite. YARTS not only connects with the airport, it also stops by Merced AMTRAK if you choose to travel by train. Though Hwy. 140 is usually open to cars without snow tires or chains, getting around the valley might be a challenge in icy conditions. Once inside the valley, you can take the free shuttle from a dozen stops; it runs every half-hour (www.yosemitepark.com).

On the way out of the Valley, we took Hwy. 140, following the scenic Merced River. An enormous rockslide closed down part of the road, covering the old route with what looked like 100 tons of boulders and causing a one-lane detour. This original paved road into the park parallels the old stagecoach route, which can still be seen across the river. In the town of Mariposa, the first city on the route out of the park. We stopped at a place recommended by Lisa Cesaro, PR Manager for Delaware North, the company that currently owns and runs the concessions in Yosemite. It more than met Lisa’s description: funky on the outside, amazing on the inside. 

The menu pretty much offered every diner delight known to humankind, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, at prices that were certainly delightful after Yosemite. The burgers are spectacular, as are the fries, the zucchini fries, and the uber-nice family that runs the place. By all means, stop at the Happy Burger Diner, located at the corner of Highway 140 and 12th Streets (http://happyburgerdiner.com/).

The "stairmaster" at Vernal Falls